Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Services (MBMS) is a point-to-multipoint service in which data is transmitted from a single source to multiple destinations over a communication network in one or more consecutive sessions of finite duration. Data can be transmitted using various MBMS modes. For example, in a single cell (SC) MBMS mode, each base station schedules and transmits data independently of all other base stations. In a multimedia broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) MBMS mode, a group of base stations are synchronized to transmit data at the same time and frequency. Wireless devices can receive multiple versions the data from a plurality of base stations within the group and delays between the different versions can be based on the location of the wireless device relative to the group of base stations. For example, the closer the wireless device is to a base station, the less delay the data will have. The further away the wireless device is from a base station, the greater the delay.
A hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) protocol can be used in MBSFN MBMS systems to improve transmission reliability over a wireless communication link. The HARQ protocol can request retransmission of corrupted data packets received at each wireless device. A wireless device in a MBSFN MBMS system, a wireless device can transmit a HARQ retransmission request to the serving base station and the serving base station can generate retransmission to all wireless devices associated with the serving base station. However, after the initial synchronized MBSFN MBMS signal is distributed from the network, no further retransmission is performed at the network level. Rather, each base station individually responds to the retransmission requests preventing multiplexing gain.